July, 2010 Archives

Loud noises, sparks and flashes. I love the Fourth. Or I should say, I love fireworks. I love equally the fanfare and scale of professional firework displays and the clumsy backyard pyrotechnics, including little kids twirling sparklers. We do fireworks in some shape or form a few times each year in addition to the Fourth. For instance, it’s become a family tradition to light “fountains” on Christmas Eve (originally to help Santa locate our house). I bought a stash of explosives a couple weeks ago so I’m set for Sunday. Here are some of my favorite fireworks photos in celebration of the Fourth.

My son Rye on Popham Beach in Maine. Bonfires, flares and fireworks. Popham is a pristine, un-commercialized, sandy beach in mid-coast Maine, beginning at the mouth of the Kennebec River and extending for three miles. Part of my Boys Life series.

Rye again. This photo is entitled “The 5th of July” because it was. Rye collected the remains of our CT backyard pyrotechnics. Also from Boys Life.

A snapshot of my all-time favorite fireworks. The Redentore, or Feast of the Redeemer, has been celebrated in Venice for more than 400 years. This feast of thanksgiving commemorates the end of a plague that killed 50,000 Venetians in 1576. On the third Saturday of July, St. Mark’s basin fills with nearly 2,000 boats. The waterway becomes a parking lot for Italy’s best tailgate party. The evening culminates with a magnificent fireworks display. This image was snapped from a gondola moored below the 16th century Customs House.